- A weapon reportedly linked to the killing of U.S. agent Jaime Zapata on February 15 may have been traced to a man in Texas. U.S. authorities arrested at least three people in a Dallas suburb on Monday, including two brothers, who are suspected of trafficking a weapon to Mexico that may have been used in the attack against Zapata, reports the Houston Chronicle. The weapon was reportedly fired during the attack but it is not clear if it fired the bullets that killed Zapata and wounded his partner, both of whom were ambushed while traveling by car through San Luis de Potosi. The most high-profile attack on a U.S. agent in years has already brought about swift retributions in Mexico, including the arrest of the alleged local head of the Zetas.
- Following revelations by state department cables published by WikiLeaks, concerning the demobilization of a fake front belonging to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia – FARC), the alleged unit’s leader Raul Agudelo Medina, alias “Olivo Saldaña,” is no longer eligible for government benefits made avaliable as part of the demobilization process.El Espectador has the story.
- The Defense Ministers of Ecuador and Colombia have announced a plan to create a working group, tasked with developing a binational security plan aimed at better monitoring the 586 kilometers of common border. The plan is intended to better combat criminal bands and guerrillas active in this area. La W radio reports that the group will be made up of the Vice Ministers of Defense from each country, with the first meeting planned for March 14 in Quito.
- Mexican newspaper Milenio reports that every six hours there is a murder registered in Nuevo Leon related to organized crime. In the first two months of the year there have been 220 deaths compared to 21 in 2010.
Gun Used in Killing of DEA Agent Traced to Texas
